p67 edition 15/02
LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 09: Wasps players celebrate at the final whistle during the Aviva Premiership match between Harlequins and London Wasps at the Twickenham Stoop on February 09, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

Conor O’Shea is adamant tomorrow’s top-of-the-table clash at the Twickenham Stoop between champions Harlequins and leaders Leicester is not the be all and end all of the season.

Quins and Tigers are both on 47 points after London Wasps inflicted a rare home defeat on the champions last weekend.

Now, O’Shea’s men have to bounce back from that 17-16 loss against a Tigers side boosted by the inclusion of England internationals Manu Tuilagi, Toby Flood and Thomas Waldrom. Danny Care is back to wear the Quins No9 jersey.

All four players were among the England replacements for the 12-6 win over Ireland and will rejoin the national squad in Bagshot on Sunday to prepare to take on France at Twickenham a week tomorrow.

Director of rugby O’Shea said: “I don’t see this match as remotely defining in terms of the title but it is a massive game between the top two teams in the Premiership. This is a unique season with everything being so tight and we have to bounce back from our first loss since November.

“I am looking for a reaction to losing and it has given us a chance to re-evaluate our game and crank things up for Leicester. This game will be decided by small margins and we have to put in a really good performance.”

The return of Care has given Quins a major lift and O’Shea has no worries about the scrum-half’s priorities, given he is involved in a fierce battle for the England No9 jersey with Ben Youngs.

Care will be desperate to use this high-profile match to bolster his own cause but has to get the balance right between personal ambition and the team game plan.

“I have no fear about Danny getting that right,” said O’Shea. “He is realistic about the current situation and it is Ben who is starting at the moment for ­England. Danny is in great form and we are delighted to have him buzzing.Having two outstanding scrum-halves is fantastic for England.”

O’Shea is backing Care and Youngs to continue their rivalry on the Lions tour to Australia this summer. He added: “When you look around at the Lions scrum-half candidates, Danny and Ben stand out and, hopefully, they are both going to go on the tour.

“We have a lot of very big, high-profile games coming up including the Heineken Cup quarter-final with Munster and massive Premiership matches with Saracens and Gloucester.”

Wasps’ victory over Harlequins saw them move into the top four and they face another testing battle against fifth-placed Gloucester at home on Sunday.

Ashley Johnson has emerged as a major force for Wasps since joining in the summer from Super Rugby side Cheetahs and has been delighted by their progress.

But the Springbok flanker said: “We expect more of ourselves now. We have been doing well but every week you have to improve.

“We know we are not by any means a complete package, there are loads of things we have to work on, which is a good if you are still winning but can see where you need to get better. The way we play our rugby is exciting. We give guys opportunities to express themselves and have some really talented individuals here.”

Saracens play their first Premiership match on their new artificial pitch, when they host Exeter Chiefs at Allianz Park. Exeter sent representatives to Barnet Copthall to check out the surface and also spoke to Cardiff Blues, who played a LV Cup match there.

London Irish head to in-form Bath where they will face former director of rugby Toby Booth.

Irish are expected to lose centre Jonathan Joseph to the west country outfit which should add spice to the game. London Welsh are at home to Sale on Sunday in what could be seen as a potential relegation decider.